‘Declare Cyclone Nilam a national calamity’

Hyderabad: Telugu Desam Party on Saturday urged the Centre to declare the recent Nilam cyclone, which played havoc and caused large-scale damage, as a national calamity.

The party`s politburo, which met in Putta Pahad village in the neighbouring Rangareddy district where TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu is undertaking a `padayatra` (foot march) also demanded the Government to announce compensation of Rs 10,000 per acre of crop damaged due to cyclone, Kadiam Srihari, former minister and TDP politburo member said.

The politburo also demanded that the state government should increase the ex-gratia amount for the families of the deceased to Rs 5 lakh each, he said.

TDP said the government should take up rehabilitation measures on war footing.

The party also demanded the Government to hold election to local bodies immediately so as to get the benefits under various central schemes, he added.

Srihari said the party also passed `Tribal Declaration`, which proclaims that every tribal `tanda` (hamlet) be declared a village.